In 2010, Ed Stafford became the first person in history to walk the entire length of the Amazon River. Prior to that, he led remote expeditions around the world after leaving the British Army in 2002, where he served as captain. Ed worked with the United Nations in Afghanistan to assist with the first ever presidential election, advising on security, planning, and logistics. Prior to this journey, researcher Ed Stafford worked for the BBC on the Lost Land of the Jaguar series.
Why did he decide on this trip
According to Ed, he is bored with living within the norm, and he had a burning desire to do something grandiose and potentially dangerous in order to feel the absolute maximum of life. And such an incident appeared to him on a 6000-mile journey from the source of the Amazon in the Peruvian Andes to its mouth in eastern Brazil. After conducting a study, he found that no one had done this before, which meant the prospect of becoming the first in the world, and Ed could not help but take this opportunity. Many people did not believe in the success of this event, but it only served as a driving force for the fearless captain and spurred him every time things went very badly. After 28 months of the expedition, which began in April 2008, and ended on August 10, 2010, after nine million-odd steps and about 200, 000 mosquito and ant bites, six pairs of boots and a dozen scorpion bites, he proved that his critics were wrong.
What was the critical point of this challenge?
It was a period of about three months in Peru, when Ed Stafford was completely alone - his partner went home, and the first guide chose to leave, because he was too scared by the dangers that awaited strangers in the Red Zone, the drug trafficking zone in Peru. In this region, everyone was involved in cocaine production, from the local peasant to the people who govern the city. At that time, the Spanish Eda left much to be desired, and he found that all the experience he experienced was so disappointing that it caused a feeling of depression.
And this had every reason, since he had repeatedly come across some very hostile Indians who tried to detain a brave traveler. Once he was even detained on murder charges, but, fortunately, was acquitted. He has been told countless times that he will die with an arrow in the back of his head or eaten by jaguars, but despite the dangers, he went through the drug trafficking zone without any problems.
Relations with local tribes
A few months later, a new guide, Gadiel Rivera, a forestry worker, joined Ed Stafford, sharing with him all the dangers of the way forward. Some indigenous tribes in this part of the world consider themselves autonomous - they do not follow the laws of Peru. During the trip, Ed used a high-frequency radio network to communicate with the tribes and, as they approached their territory, asked for permission to go through, which the locals were reluctant to give white people, and often refused at all, resulting in conflicts and clashes.
Once, Ed and Rivera were captured by a tribe that was furious because strangers tried to get through without permission, and it is not known how the case would end if travelers were found weapons. Permission was obtained only after Ed hired two members of the tribe as guides. Subsequently, it brought them a lot of benefit, since local guides were indispensable for traveling in these places, and they became good friends. Ed said that at the end of the journey, when it was time to pay for their services, he was afraid that the money would be spent on alcohol, but the guys bought an outboard motor to bring to their community.
The unfavorable attitude of local tribes towards white people has quite good reasons connected with the treatment of indigenous peoples in the past - whole generations of men were destroyed in many Peruvian communities and women became victims of violence. Now it’s a strange little world: it seems completely isolated, but there are even generators in the communities and they watch TV, while watching TV shows in Brazil.
Dangers on the way
In April 2009, a year after the start of the expedition, Ed reached the hardest part of the trip: the Brazilian rainforest. Floods, bad maps, poisonous plants and dangerous animals posed a huge threat, not to mention the brutal tribes that had killed other British explorers in the past. Thus began the story "Ed Stafford - Survival." They were exhausted all the time, they did not have enough food.
When the 35-year-old former British Army captain began his journey, he thought it would help him get in shape. Months passed and the miles traveled reached thousands, but instead of becoming Adonis, he found that his muscle mass began to break down, and he was becoming weaker and weaker. Lack of food forced a violation of hunting policies. Ed recalls how, once after two days without food, they found a red-legged turtle nesting in a bed of leaves and without losing time, worrying about ethics, sacrificed it to support their strength. They also mined palm cores, wild tomatoes, nuts, wild bananas and fished, once having nearly collided with a two-meter electric eel, capable of causing a fatal shock with a power of 500 watts.
Insects were also troubling: one day Ed came across a whitefly larvae growing on his head. They all overcame and left this stage much more confident in their capabilities.
Faithful companion
Most of Ed's journey was accompanied by his faithful guide, Gadiel Rivera. He joined him, planning to spend several days to help the brave traveler, and ultimately stayed with him until the end. According to Ed, he deserves great praise for being a very light and friendly person who could get along very well. Most of the time they dreamed and talked about fishing, firewood and choosing a route. They became loyal friends and, after the expedition, they returned to the UK together.
Ed helped him get a visa, Gadiel settled with his mother in Leicester and began studying English.
